Kenneth O'Brien wrote:
>
>
>
> >Most transit systems get worse economy than if all passengers drove
> >alone. However, transit is actually worse than that because it converts
> >bicyclists and pedestrians into chauffered motorists. Heavy, polluting
> >short haul transit has nothing in common with cycling.
>
>
> This is a question that involves utilization, the nature of the community
> serviced, wide ranging sets of government subsidies and edicts, etc. ,
> etc...
>
> Higher percentages of the culture's trips serviced by mass
> transit and walking in communities easy to service
> with mass transit and walking - not more bicycling - is the needed
> big-picture-primary correction to _transportation_.

What makes you think that low powered private vehicles are not the
needed big-picture-primary correction to _transportation_?


If
> the epidemiology at any particular instant in time
> shows a bicycling reduction by the culture correlated with some
> effort to promote that shift to more mass transit and walking
> mode share... so be it. However, I suspect that will not be true
> over the long haul of this change. I suspect that when we get closer
> to where we need to be(much higher mass transit use, in reconfigured
> communities) bicycling rates will be much higher than they are now.
> However, However... even if that does not turn out to be true, this
> needed change to more mode share by mass transit and walking is too
> important. Bicyclist advocacy must not get in the way and sign up
> with opponents to this change.
>
> Bicycling is an minor issue within this bigger issue. I don't
> accept anti-mass-transit efforts/noise by bicyclist advocates
> because they feel their specific goal of seeing higher rates
> of bicycling is threatened by mass transit. I would vigorously
> oppose any anti-mass-transit noise out of a bicyclist advocacy
> organization I am involved with. Better to drop that specific
> goal from bicyclist advocacy efforts, if you come to believe
> that goal forces you to say anything against mass transit as
> part of your bicyclist advocacy efforts.


Ken,

Nobody has said anything anti mass transit. I merely stated facts. YOU
say how mass transit is needed, showing your bias.

Given that transit here in this compact college town is widespread and
FREE, yet still gets just 25 passenger miles per gallon, it's quite
apparent that people in general dislike transit, leaving it under
utilized, and it therefore greatly pollutes. Therefore I conclude that
it is proper for bicycling advocates to oppose subsidizing a system that
reduces bicycling (and walking), creating chauffered motorists. Further,
such heavy vehicles accelerate the destruction of the pavement, an
important element of bicycling advocacy.

Wayne